Second Kings 7-8

God’s message to me: Be careful who you associate yourself with. Even if you are strong enough to continue doing what is right your example and the influence of bad people on your associates and family could be detrimental. Jehoshaphat was a good king following God but his son married Ahab’s daughter and his son and grandson both followed Ahab’s ways when they were king.

Promises: Our God is a God of the Impossible. The waste and garbage was fetching premium prices and the Israelites had resorted to cannibalism in the city of Samaria. Famine in the land coupled with a siege they had no power to break made the people hopeless. The king had ordered the execution of Elisha but Elisha predicted fine foods would be selling for bargain basement prices within 24 hours. The guard sent to get him didn’t believe such a thing could happen unless the gates of heaven opened and food rained from the sky.

That night God sent the sound of chariots and marching into the enemy camp so that they believed Israel had hired mercenaries against them. They Syrians ran away leaving all they had brought in an intact camp. The animals, the food, the weapons, clothes and supplies were left to the Israelites and the sudden influx of so much caused the price of food to drop to prices normally unheard of in times of plenty.

Commands: Do not forsake God and do not serve false Gods. Jehoshaphat had been an obedient servant of God but made himself to close to Ahab. His son married Ahab’s daughter and, when he became king, he followed Ahab’s sinful ways so that he only reigned 8 years. It was in this time that Edom and Libnah revolted against Judah’s authority.

His son was just as bad and ruled only one year. Wounded in battle while fighting alongside the Samarians, he went to Jezreel to recover.

Timeless principles: God does not seek the suffering of His servants. Like the warnings given to others in the past God sent word through Elisha that there would be famine in the land. Elisha gave the message to the woman whose son had been raised from the dead so that she could escape the famine and live elsewhere for those seven years. You will remember that Joseph was set up to protect his family and all of Egypt from a famine and that others had also been told to go to safe places when famine was coming.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: Be careful of my associations and how they influence those around me.

more to learn for in-depth study: We are developing a bit of a time line here. Ahaziah reigned until about 105 years after Solomon. Solomon and David each ruled 40 years and Solomon began work on the temple around 3148 years after creation. That means Ahaziah would have ended his reign around 3191 to 3193 years after creation. The times of the kings are slightly less precise with information we have now because we haven’t seen a specific point in Solomon’s reign that he began work on the temple. We just know it happened early. In any case we can get a rough idea of the times of each rule by comparing the time in office and the point at which the person took the throne compared to the other kingdom. It’s roughly accurate and will become more accurate as further books will give more precision to the times.

tomorrow: Second Kings 9-11

Second Kings 4-6

God’s message to me: How big is your faith? How many pots, jars, and other vessels would you gather if the man of God said you could fill them all from one small vessel of oil? Would you run to the prophet believing he could raise your son from the dead? Could you trust a small amount of food to feed a multitude of people?

Promises: Ours is a God of the impossible. He can make food multiply, He can raise the dead and heal the terminally ill. He can make Iron float on water. He can provide warning and information better than any spy.

Commands: Trust in the Lord and He will provide all your needs.

Timeless principles: When hard times come it is God’s people who get the blame. Whether it is the Jews or the Christians they are blamed for calamity. With famine in the land and the capital under siege the king of Israel called for Elisha to be killed. When hard times came to Germany Hitler blamed the Jews. When terrorists smashed planes into the twin towers Christians were blamed and faith was relabeled as hate.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: When everything is going wrong and you seem to have no way out, trust God to give you safe passage.

more to learn for in-depth study: The Jordan river was not the cleanest water source around. In fact, at that time it was a bit of a cesspool. Taking a bath in that filth would be dubious for a healthy man but, because the man of God had told him that God would heal him if he did so, Namaan, washed in that mucky river 7 times.

tomorrow: Second Kings 7-8

Second Kings 1-3

God’s message to me: We Christians really don’t know the power we can wield. God has promised us the ability to do all we read about in the bible and more. Despite that fact we continue to assume the days of miracles are over. With faith the size of a mustard seed we can move a mountain. We can heal and cast out demons. We can survive attack and withstand poison as long as God wills us to. We have no reason to fear embarrassment. If we can agree together before God and ask things in the name of His Son they will be granted that our joy may be full and that His power will be known.

Promises: God is not mocked. When the king demanded Elijah to come God revealed His power by burning the soldiers where they stood when Elijah asked Him too. He did it to prove He was God and Elijah was His man. He parted the waters for Elijah and again for Elisha to show Elisha he was indeed empowered as his predecessor. He also fulfilled the curse of Elisha on the boys who mocked him.

Commands: Do what God commands, no matter how useless it may seem, and He will provide far more than you could imagine to fulfill your needs and desires.

Timeless principles: God will often use the same thing that brings success to His people to bring disaster on their enemies. The king of Judah, who served God, went with the kings of Samaria(Israel) and Edom(the children of Esau) to battle the Moabites. Lacking water they sought the council of Elisha.

Because of Jehoshaphat, who served the Lord, Elisha inquired of the Lord and instructed them to dig ditches in the valley where they were camped. God filled the ditches with water so that the army and it’s animals could drink, he caused the water to look like blood to the Moabites so that they thought the three kings fought amongst each other and dashed in for an easy victory, only to find 3 armies, rested, fed and watered, ready to overcome them.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: Trust God and don’t worry about the means. When God told the kings to dig ditches He also told them those ditches would be filled with water miraculously. The water wouldn’t come from rain or runoff or a stream or any other visible source. God would fill them. God did fill them and He can fulfill your needs just as miraculously.

more to learn for in-depth study: Baal Zebub, which is where we get the name Beelzebub, means Lord of the flies and was one of several false gods known as Baal.

tomorrow: Second Kings 4-6